One woman's foray into cooking for herself, for her family, and for her friends. It's not always picture-perfect, sometimes a little messy,but it's always delicious. Join me in exploring new recipes, savoring the "résultats" and learning from the "erreurs".

Monday, March 30, 2009

As often happens when I slow down after working a lot, I came down with a cold. Once I lose my momentum, my body decides it wants to shut down instead of just slow down. And then I get sick. Happens all the time. I hate that. I woke up this morning with a pounding head, aching sinuses, sore throat, and fever. So, I called into the office, took some cold medicine, and went back to bed and slept until about 2:00 this afternoon. The head feels better, the throat is still sore, and the fever seems to be hanging on. A cup of tea was all I felt like this afternoon, but I finally got hungry about 9:00 this evening. The easiest thing I could think of was pasta with olive oil, garlic & pignoli (pine nuts). While the pasta is cooking, I thinly slice lots of garlic (at least 6 - 8 cloves) and throw them into about 2 - 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan, along with a handful of pignoli, and slowly heat through. The garlic gets translucent and nutty, and the pignoli get a nice toasty flavor yet still softened up a little. When the pasta finishes cooking, drain it and put it in the saute pan, mixing it up with the garlic mixture. Toss in a handful of chopped Italian parsley, season with salt & pepper, and dinner is done. I often grate a little Parmigiana Reggiano over the top, as well. My hunger is satisfied and so are my taste buds... and all that garlic has to be good for my cold... right?!